The family remembers the son of Army Sgt. Declan Coady was killed in an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait

Fallen US Army Reserve Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, spent his last hours in Kuwait sending breaking news home to ease his family’s fears of a war with Iran – before silence replaced his messages and uniformed police arrived at his parents’ door.

Coady, a Drake University student from Des Moines, Iowa, was one of six Army Reserve soldiers killed Saturday in an Iranian drone attack at the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait while supporting Operation Epic Fury, according to the Department of War (DoW).

He was the youngest of the fallen soldiers identified by the DoW, and enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an Army information technology specialist.

In an emotional interview, his father, Andrew Coady, said the family found out about the deceased shortly after waking up on Sunday morning, but did not believe that Declan was involved because he had spoken to his brother in Italy in the morning.

“Declan was just in with him, and the reason Declan is nine hours away,” Andrew said. “He was two hours ahead of his brother, so he called his brother. Declan has been sending us updates every two hours, like, ‘hey, everything’s going well. I’m fine.’ Which goes to show, you know, he was thinking about us. Like, ‘don’t worry about me’ and stuff.”

According to information received by the family, Andrew said Declan’s surgery center may have been affected shortly after he got off the phone with his brother.

“At that time, my wife had sent another message to him … and we didn’t hear back,” Andrew said. “They may not always be able to answer, but I will say that most of us started.” [worry]. Your gut starts to feel. We go to bed very early, so we got ready for bed on Sunday night, and we had just turned off the lights and walked into the room and the doorbell rang at 8:00.”

Andrew Coady and his daughter Keira, right, talk about his son, Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, outside their home, Tuesday, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)

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Declan’s unit was sent to Kuwait in September and he was due to go home in May, according to his father.

“There has been a request for a role that he can do and fill, that a new unit will come in and not have many in that space, and if he would like to extend another nine months,” said Andrew Coady. “So we were talking about that, the good and the bad. He hadn’t made a decision yet.”

He remembered a conversation with his son, when Declan told him that his previous jobs could not be compared to the love he had for the service.

“But one thing he said was, ‘You know, I haven’t had many jobs, but I’ve had jobs in the normal world. And I’ve been here for six months and I’m working 12+ hour days. I’m working six to seven days a week,'” Andrew said. “And you go, ‘I love it.’

This photo provided by Andrew Coady shows his son, Declan Coady, posing for a photo on his graduation day at the US Army Training Center at Fort Sill, Okla. (Andrew Coady via AP)

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His father explained that Declan could have gone on to nearby Drake University – where he studied information systems, cybersecurity and computer science – and was commissioned as an officer after graduating from the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).

However, he decided to re-use the faculty and continue with online classes in Kuwait.

“He planned that, he said he was firm, like, ‘I’m going with my unit,'” Andrew said.

A week before the attack, his father said that Declan called him to inform him that he had been recommended for promotion to the rank of sergeant, a post he received after his death.

The fallen service members were identified as Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Captain Cody Khork, 35, of Lakeland, Florida; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa. Two additional soldiers killed in the attack have not been publicly identified. (US Army Reserve Command Press Desk; Fox News)

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Declan’s sister, Keira Coady, tearfully recalls the day her brother traveled to Kuwait, showing reporters photos of him and their family’s pet cat.

“This was the morning before we dropped him off to go,” Keira said. “She was our cat, Autumn’s favorite. She would stay in her room while she played for hours, and she would ask for attention, and she would give it to her. She is 20. She would be 21 in two months.”

Keira Coady talks about her brother, Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, outside his home, Tuesday, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)

Keira said the shock hasn’t worn off, explaining, “I still don’t think it’s true.”

“I didn’t think it was true when they told us,” said Keira. “I just remember all our conversations about what he was going to do when he got back. So I’ll be sitting and thinking about it. It’s really hard. … I didn’t have the same phone calls this weekend that my dad and my brother did. [with Declan]. I just wish I could tell him I love you again because he was so amazing.”

He added that his brother was not one to let his emotions show, but he can imagine that he was afraid on the day of the attack.

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“I can’t help but think, well, he was my little brother, and maybe he was really scared even if he didn’t want people to know,” Keira said. “I wish you knew one more time that we all loved him because he was amazing and kind. … He was like the best little brother you could ever have.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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